Up To Speed

Young professional prowess, Conan O'Brien's Dallas lineup and more hot stories revealed

It's that time when CultureMap ensures your noggin is teeming with what's hot in Dallas-Fort Worth. Host Nicole Hickl is back with another episode of "Up To Speed," sponsored by Cadillac, a short video series that summarizes the trending local stories of the past week.

In about three minutes, you'll know the 411 on Conan O'Brien's guests for March Madness, where to drink and dine al fresco, how to relax in Big D, and the top young professional groups in the city. Watch the video above and follow along the full write-ups below:

Conan O'Brien reveals hot Dallas guest list for March Madness shows by Claire St. Amant
The essential guide to young professional philanthropy groups in Dallas by Diana Oates
The 10 best new patios in Dallas to drink and dine outdoors by Jennifer Chininis
The best hotel spas in Dallas to relax and retreat by Connie Dufner

Studies Show, Study Here

Texas hot spot hooks No. 1 ranking as best college city in America

UT Austin

UT Austin/Facebook

Austin is best in the U.S.

It might be a bit reductive to call Austin a college town, but that's what makes it so good. It certainly benefits from the creativity and industry of college living, but there's a lot more to do than go to gentrified lunches and cool, underground shows.

Recognizing this special balance, financial website WalletHub has declared Austin the No. 1 college city in the United States for 2023, beating out some obvious contenders like Pittsburgh and Columbus, Ohio.

In addition to being the best city overall, Austin also tops the large cities list, and is one of only two Texas locales represented in the top 10 of any category; the other is College Station, No. 6 on the small list.

The most represented state, perhaps not surprisingly, is Florida, with four cities in the overall top 10. The top 10 college cities for 2023, according to WalletHub, are:

1. Austin
2. Ann Arbor, Michigan
3. Orlando, Florida
4. Gainesville, Florida
5. Tampa, Florida
6. Rexburg, Idaho
7. Provo, Utah
8. Scottsdale, Arizona
9. Miami
10. Raleigh, North Carolina

And how did Austin make the grade? WalletHub looked at key metrics across three categories to determine the rankings.

Austin scored best, No. 12, in the “social environment” category, determined by metrics like students per capita; breweries, cafés, and food trucks per capita; and safety issues like vaccination and crime statistics.

Its ranking at No. 21 in the “academic & economic opportunities" category puts it in the 95th percentile, even above Boston and Cambridge, Massachusetts, famous for their Ivy League prevalence.

And perhaps unsurprising to those who currently reside in Austin, the Capital City ranked worst in "wallet friendliness,” at No. 204 out of 415.

Elsewhere in Texas, El Paso did well on the overall list at No. 36, followed by Houston (No. 64), Dallas (99), Fort Worth (153), and San Antonio (169).

Dallas landed well down the list in every category: wallet friendliness (226), academic & economic opportunities (168), and social environment (147).

Fort Worth fell even farther down the list in the same categories: wallet friendliness (242), academic & economic opportunities (201), and social environment (149).

Notably, cities that tend to fall lower in similar studies ranked relatively well among college towns.

city life education health universities ut austin

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